Carolein Smit
Medusa Head grey
74.500 €
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About the artwork
Carolein Smit
Medusa Head green
2026
Object
Ceramics
Each piece is handmade original.
13,5 × 10 cm
Série: 10 pieces
In stock
The special series of ceramic sculptures Medusa by Dutch artist Carolein Smit, who presented her work as part of the Between Worlds exhibition at KodlContemporary, refers to one of the three Gorgons, female figures from ancient Greek mythology who were meant to inspire fear. According to the myth, the hero Perseus cut off her head. Even after her death, Medusa retained her power – anyone who looked into her eyes was turned to stone. Her head was therefore regarded as a particularly powerful protective symbol. It appeared on armour and shields, and later also above doors and entrances, where it was meant to ward off evil and prevent it from entering.
The Green Man is her true opposite. While Medusa inspires fear and protects against danger, the Green Man represents fertility, growth and renewal. He is associated with vegetation and Mother Earth, and his face, surrounded by leaves and other plants, is generally depicted as friendly. In architecture, he appears as a symbol of abundance, prosperity and goodness.
Carolein Smit: “In Prague, I saw many Green Men. The best one was in the garden of the Wallenstein Palace. It is a stylised Green Man hidden in the rock, yet it still appears as a sad Green Man.”
About author
Carolein Smit (b. 1960, the Netherlands) is a Dutch artist who studied at the St. Joost Academy of Art in Breda. She originally worked in lithography, graphic design, and drawing, but later turned exclusively to ceramics. Her sculptures come across as fragile, sublime, and sinister all at once, creating an imaginary world. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Kunsthal Rotterdam, and the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris, among others.
